Home Help: Add some natural light to your home

Wednesday

Weekly home & garden rail, with items on skylights, a cheap way to make sure your new paint scheme actually works, how to control aphids and more.

Home Improvements: Venting skylights

Many remodelers say that clients are expressing more interest in options and upgrades that address indoor air quality and energy efficiency, and that skylights are the answer. Steve Alfaro, trade business development manager with VELUX America, says that kitchens and bathrooms, always high on homeowner remodeling lists, are logical candidates for natural lighting and ventilation upgrades. "They, along with laundry rooms, have higher moisture and humidity levels than other areas of the home and are among the most popular locations for venting skylights. And more natural light is always welcomed where clothes are being sorted by color," he said.

Energy Star-qualified skylights can cost-effectively provide better natural lighting in all areas of the home, helping to reduce power bills, he said. "And venting skylights in kitchens, baths and laundry areas remove stale, heated air quickly and quietly with no added energy costs.” (ARA)

Decorating Tip: Try before you buy

Adding some color to the walls is a trouble-free and inexpensive way to extend your home improvement dollar. To help you save even more time and money, rather than buying jars of test paint colors, consider turning to online sources before you launch into a painting project. An online color visualizer provides that extra boost of confidence when pulling paint colors together by showcasing photographs of how professionals combine colors on walls, trim and accent areas in various rooms. The visualizer allows you to manipulate wall, trim and accent colors in a variety of room settings. A simple click of a mouse lets you see firsthand how any room in your home might look with one or more colors. (ARA)

Did You Know …

You can use shampoo in your liquid soap dispensers. Shampoo generally is cheaper than soap, and it works well at cleaning oils and grease off your hands.

Garden Guide

Are aphids taking over your garden? There’s an easy, environmentally friendly solution – ladybugs. These insects love to dine on aphids and other small pests. Simply introduce some ladybugs into your garden, and they’ll stick around if there’s plenty to eat. You can purchase ladybugs at many garden centers, or check online.

Backyard Buddies

Some tips from Birdsforever.com on how to attract cedar waxwings to your yard:

- Create a forest edge or open woodland with trees. Plant trees they like such as alders, maples and dogwoods, or their favorite nesting trees: cedar and maple.

- Offer chopped or sliced apples, raisins and/or currants on a platform feeder. Cedar waxwings are difficult to entice to a feeder, but once they notice it, they will consume large quantities.

- Make sure you have a birdbath or water source.

- Plant berry-producing trees and shrubs.

How to remove stubborn scum from glass shower doors

Mix 1 cup of liquid fabric softener with 1 quart of warm water. With a soft cloth, gently rub the mixture onto the glass in a small circular pattern. Most soap scum will disintegrate and rinse off using this technique, but if the build-up fails to respond, fill a spray bottle with a mixture of one part mineral oil to four parts water. Spray the mixture onto the scum, let it soak for a minute, and then wipe with a clean sponge.

After cleaning your glass, seal the surface to prevent future build-up. Lemon or orange oil will provide a temporary coating and a pleasant aroma. For a longer-term seal, you can use an automotive or furniture paste wax. (ARA)

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